How We Live Now: Scenes from the Pandemic | Bill Hayes

 

I had no idea that Bill Hayes was working on another scenes of New York book that would focus on the March-April Covid-19 lockdown of 2020. If I'd known, I may have experienced fewer angsty days of my own, knowing that Bill was going to somehow make it all right!

It’s a little like losing your life while still being alive, this experience.

How We Live Now is presented in a very similar way to Insomniac City from three years ago. A lovely hardback edition, with black and white photographs scattered throughout. Photographs, or more precisely portraits, that Bill takes of strangers as he is out walking around New York (with their permission). You can see some of them here. The photographs are usually accompanied by a vignette - whether it's what was happening on that particular day or a little personal story about his meeting and conversation with the stranger in question.

Behind me a small line had formed....A family was looking for books for their kids to read. I felt like I was in a metaphorical breadline - a breadline for feeding the brain and the soul.

Insomniac City was a love letter to New York and to his recently deceased partner, Oliver Sacks. How We Live Now continues this theme. Losing Oliver is obviously still a painful memory for Bill, but three years later, his stories are fond reminiscences rather than emotional outpourings. While his love for New York continues unabated, despite the changes that lockdown brought.

When you look out & see the empty streets & sidewalks & shuttered shops, a friend tells me, see it as solidarity - everyone doing their best to keep themselves & everyone else healthy....Even so, I can’t deny how sad & disorientating the absence of life in these once busy streets seems.

It's only a small volume. A slim slice of life as we are living it now, by someone who has a tender eye for detail, for the unusual and the routine. Hayes is a thoughtful man who reflects on how is feeling throughout this time as well as documenting the impact on some of those around him.

In the enforced solitude and silence, you can sometimes hear yourself replaying moments in your life, things said or not said, done or not done, love expressed or not expressed, all the gratitude you’ve ever received, all the gratitude you’ve ever felt.

He captured some of the feelings and moods that I also experienced during our Sydney lockdown. The moments of anxiety as well as the odd moments of peace - being able to listen to an individual bird sing, watching a skateboarder roll down an empty street from his apartment window...

Because I’ve worked at home for years now, the mandate to stay home and work from home is, I imagine, a little easier for someone like me. I’m also a loner and an introvert (except when it comes to strangers), which helps too.

Even so, there are times when I feel spooked - not scared but spooked.

However, what I found most endearing or comforting as I read How We Live Now, was the sense of solidarity that we are all in this together, and the reminder to live our lives now. Our collective here and now may not be the one we planned for or expected, but this is what we have right now. 

Because what IS is what matters most. What was will only make you blue in New York.

This is our life. We are living it. And that's all we have ever been able to do - to live in the world we are in.

Wishing that things were 'normal' or talking about when things go back to 'normal', will only lead us to despair. This is our normal now. We're living it. Whatever happens afterwards, will be different to what went before. This experience will change us all, in big ways and in small. We don't know what or how yet, but change is one of the few things guaranteed in life. Covid-19 has simply been a real in-your-face reminder that this is so. If we fight against it, we can become bitter and disappointed. However, if we accept it, and let go of our desire to control everything (one of the hardest lessons I've certainly had to learn as an adult) we can learn to roll with the punches and find some grace in just being, here, now.

And like Hayes, I am curious to see what's on the other side. 

I am climbing the walls here. But I also know I am among the most fortunate: I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge, and my health to be thankful for. So, if this is how we have to live - with masks and gloves and almost no human contact for several more months - then so be it, this is how we have to live. I just want to see what's on the other side of this f***ing mountain.

My Previous Plague/Pandemic Reads:

• The Plague | Albert Camus
• How We Live Now | Bill Hayes (non-fiction Covid-19)
• The Stand | Stephen King
• Moloka'i | Alan Brennert (Leprosy)
• All Fall Down | Sally Nicholls (The Black Death) YA
• Hamnet | Maggie O'Farrell (The Plague)
• Oryx and Crake | Margaret Atwood
• Year of Wonders | Geraldine Brooks (Great Plague of London)
• The Pull of the Stars | Emma Donoghue (Spanish Flu)
• A Journal of the Plague Year | Daniel Defoe (Great Plague of London)
• Intimations | Zadie Smith (non-fiction Covid-19)

My Current Plague Reads:

• A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century | Barbara Tuchman (non-fiction The Black Death)
• How We Live Now | Bill Hayes

Up Next:

• Pale Horse, Pale Rider | Katherine Anne Porter (Spanish Flu)
• The Decameron Project: 29 Stories from the Pandemic | The New York Times (Covid-19)

So, November...

has turned out nothing like I had planned.

Life's like that sometimes.

But I'm determined to get back on track, refocus my energies and finish a few reviews!

Thank you all for your patience, and a BIG thank you to Nancy for reviewing her little heart out and maintaining her #AusReadingMonth enthusiasm despite my intermittent attention.

Not all of my recent preoccupations have been sad ones though.

I also had the excitement of preparing for my very first photographic exhibition.

Earlier in the year, I was approached by our local library to share my Cuba photos for public display.

They had spotted my holiday photos on Instagram and thought they would make an interesting exhibition.

I had never done anything like that before, so I nervously said yes.

Back in January, when I took my 1000+ Cuba photos, my only intention had been to document our holiday.

However, I’ve always had a fascination with the art of photography. 

When I got my first iPhone in 2011, the first app I downloaded was Instagram. 

I quickly discovered @fatmumslim and her daily photo challenge. 

She inspired my eye and my photo choice.

Her word prompts are usually adjectives or nouns, but occasionally she throws in a photographic technique.

Over the years I discovered the joys of macro photography, the rule of three, playing with light and shadow, depth of field and many more. 

My love of photography is a hobby, not a profession.

Any skills I have gained are from practice, practice, practice.

One of my favourite photographic techniques is leading lines. 

I love angles and diagonals and I knew that Cuban architecture would give me plenty of opportunity to play around with this.

Santiago de Cuba

I’m also attracted to colour.

Another big plus when travelling in Cuba!

Havana

We didn’t know what to expect when we arrived in Cuba. 

It’s certainly the flavour of the month in travel destinations right now. 

We had a strong sense of wanting to see Cuba and experience it, before the rest of the world arrived. From the minute we announced our travel plans, we were inundated with questions and curiosity. 

We had our own expectations and assumptions. 

Cuba met and confounded them all!

Trinidad

My Instagram photos of our time in Cuba have attracted worldwide attention and comment all year. 

People want to know what it’s like there now, after 60 years of socialism. 

They want to know about the old cars, the colourful buildings, the music and the people. 

My photos capture the light and shadow, the vibrancy and decay, the new and the old. 

Each scene stands on its own; an image captured in time. 

Together they tell my story of travelling through Cuba.

You can see more of my Cuba photos on my other (photographic) blog, Four Seasons.

But for now, here is me, looking slightly stunned and bemused on Thursday evening, as everyone gathered around to see my Cuba photos officially launched!

Green Nomads by Bob Brown

I confess that I began Green Nomads with a cynical attitude - why would anyone think they could publish a glossy coffee table book about their recent camping trip and expect people to buy it?

I could do that surely? All I had to do was raid my instagram account for all those sunsets, macro flowers and panoramas!

But of course, this particular camping book is not just by any old body interested in taking a few snaps of pretty things. It is by Bob Brown and his partner, Paul.

For those of you on the other side of the world, Bob Brown was a doctor, politician and the leader of the Greens Party from its inception to his retirement in 2012.

Brown's environmental activism is legendary and his practical, significant contribution to the cause continues to this day. If anyone has the right or kudos to produce a glossy book about the Australian environment, it is Bob Brown.

Once I got over myself and my cynical attitude, I quickly found that I was mesmerised by the beautiful places photographed by Bob and Paul.
They both have a lovely eye for colour and detail and some of their panoramic shots were breath-taking. They have the knack for seeing the simple, unique and peaceful nature of each environment they explored.

I also learnt about Bush Heritage Australia - an organisation dedicated to protecting wildlife and endangered habitats - that Brown helped to establish in 1990 in Tasmania. Starting with two forest blocks near Oura Oura in Tasmania, Bush Heritage Australia now owns and manages one million hectares of reclaimed land around Australia.

The aim of this book was for Bob and Paul to visit each of the properties now under the Bush Heritage umbrella. It took them three months to travel around Tasmania, through Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and NSW.

Many of the photos stopped me in my tracks with their glorious colours or natural serenity. Brown included a smattering of text to let us know where we were and what particular issues affected this area.

For the rest, he let the pictures tell the story.

Green Nomads is a story of respect, protection and naturalness.
It's also a timely tale of hope.

If you'd like to see a few more of the photos from the book (and not just my photo of a photo!), Brown has a website with some of them on display and available for purchase - here.

A few views from Halong Bay Vietnam....

"Getting in touch with the beauty of nature makes life much more beautiful, much more real."
You Are Here by Thich Nhat Hanh

Halong Bay is beautiful, magical and impossible to capture.

There is a majesty in the simplicity of these limestone karsts. It's difficult to accurately capture their scale & depth.

But there is another side to Halong Bay.

The side that is on the brink of bring overdeveloped, exploited and ultimately depleted. The abundance of tourists & boats is overwhelming.

It was hard not to feel guilty at times for being there and being a part of the environmental destruction.

But there were bays and coves where one could feel like you were the only person left on earth (except for the crew on the boat!) The silence was extraordinary - broken only by lapping waves and birdsong. The peace and serenity, though fleeting, were healing in their purity. And their unexpectedness.

Like Venice, one could focus on the rubbish floating around the busier sections of Halong Bay. 

Or like Venice, you could focus on the marvels of the (natural) world.

I chose to focus on the magical beauty of Halong Bay. But the detrimental impact of human beings was never very far from my consciousness or conscience.

I sincerely hope that the Vietnamese government can work out a reasonable and environmentally ethical solution soon to this dilemma. It must be possible to enjoy this world & it's simple beauty without destroying it at the same time.

Ode to Autumn - John Keats

We have been enjoying the most glorious of autumns in Sydney this year. 

The warm, sunny days, stunning sunsets and balmy nights have everyone extolling the virtues of autumn.

A trip to Mudgee last weekend reminded me of my favourite autumnal phrase from John Keats 

"season of mists and mellow fruitfulness..." 

I was first introduced to this poem at a teaching conference many years ago.

It was autumn and the lecturers obvious passion for this poem shone through every word & phrase 

until I had goosebumps on my arms and the hairs on the back of my neck were shivering in pleasure.

I have never forgotten that day, or this poem or how it made me feel.

Ode To Autumn - John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find

Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,

Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;

Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,

Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook

Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;

And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep

Steady thy laden head across a brook;

Or by a cider-press, with patient look,

Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, - 

While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day

And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;

Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn

Among the river sallows, borne aloft

Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;

And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;

Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft

The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;

And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

This post is part of Alphabe-Thursday

and Flashback Friday.

Mouse Mansion by Karina Schaapman

OMG! I'm in love!
The serious this-is-just-too-cute mousey kind of love.

Mouse Mansion: Sam & Julia is the creation (and dare I say obsession) of Karina Schaapman. She has built an entire world for Julia & Sam within the confines of cardboard boxes & papier maché.

Over 100 rooms exist in this extraordinary ecosystem.

Each room is meticulously decorated with vintage fabrics & waste materials.

The attention to detail is breath-taking and at times almost overwhelming.

We see Julia covered in chicken pox, soap suds in the bath, labels on grocery items, Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl on the bedside table & macramé pot plant holders hanging from the ceiling. There are Beatles posters on the wall, Thelonious Monk album covers on the piano, old wedding photos on bookshelves & lights and lamps of so many varieties - that can actually be lit up for the night-time sections of the story.

For those of you lucky enough to be in Amsterdam, you can see parts of the mansion on display at The Hermitage Museum.

Schaapman has written a collection of cosy, charming, endearing stories about Julia and Sam, their families and neighbours.

The book is set up like an early chapter book, but it is the photographs of the mice inside the mansion that dominate each page.

You could spend hours pouring and marvelling over the pictures.

Even my too-cool 13 year old stepson was impressed when he picked up one of the books I left lying on the lounge!

The second book came out in Australia last month - Mouse Mansion: Sam & Julia At the Theatre.

This book touches on some sadder themes - homesickness and the death of a grandparent. But we are also introduced to some of the neighbours and visit more of the rooms.

A google search of Schaapman has revealed an even more interesting & complex story though.

Schaapman, also known as Karina Content, is a Dutch writer and politician associated with the Labor party. She has written reports on the state of the education system in the Netherlands.

When rumours about her past began to surface, she decided to tackle them head on by writing her memoirs in a booked titles Motherless.

In Motherless she detailed her upbringing by her Indonesian mother & her abusive but mostly absent father.

When her mother dies of cancer, Karina finds herself, at the age of 13, neglected, living in squats, dabbling in drugs & eventually performing acts of prostitution & acting in adult movies.

This destructive way of life continued despite eventually finding a loving relationship and starting a family. 

"Now Karina must escape the nightmare that she has partly constructed for herself… Motherless is the powerful story of one woman’s path to redemption and respectability, as she seeks to reclaim the mother and the family that she has lost." (Authortrek.com)

Motherless was an instant bestseller in the Netherlands, making Schaapman's a household name.

She continued to be active in local council politics, campaigning for women & children's rights and education until 2008 when she burnt-out & left politics.

One can't help but wonder what personal demons Schaapman is trying to come to terms with in her creation of Mouse Mansion.

On the 14th of June 2008 in an interview with Carolina Lo Galbo, Galbo observed  "In this oversee-able, safe world small fabric mice live. 
"I only concentrate on the soft side of life‟, she says. 
Eli Content entered her life in the right moment, she finds. "He opened a new world to me, one of arts, literature and music. The interest was always there, but it‟s only recent that I started developing it‟. "